Alanson c



(NdModeL) A. O. E,S-TABROOK.

MACHINE FOR BUNGHING BRISTLES. v

No. 351,909. Patented Nov. 2, 1886.-

N. PETERS. PM LLLL rupher. Washingion, n. c

" UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE,

ALANSON C. ESTABROOK, OF FLORENCE, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO THEFLORENCE MANUFACTURING COMPANY, OF SAME PLACE.

MACH|NE FOR BUNCHING BRI STL ES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 351.909, dated November2, 1886.

Application filed July 17, 1884. Serial No.13'1,960. X model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be itknown that I, ALANSON O. ESTABROOK, of Florence, town ofNorthampton, in the county of Hampshire and State of Massachu= setts,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Machines forBunchin g Bristles; and I do hereby declare that the followingspecification, taken in connection with the drawings furnished andforming a part of the same, is a.clear, true, and complete descriptionof the several featuresof my invention.

In another application for Letters Patent, No. 187 ,959, I havedescribed and claimed several improvements in machines of this generalclass, and some of said improvements, when broadly considered, areembodied in the machines'hereinafterdescribed, All of my saidimprovements are limited to machines which embody, in combination, abristle-hopper and a notched blade, by which a tuft of bristles isseparated from the mass and presented or delivered for grasping by abrush-maker, prep'aratory to further manipulation necessary inthe'manufacture of brushes; and the particular improvements whichconstitute the subject of this application are limited to such machinesas contain, essentially, a notched circular blade, whether it beorganized to operate reciprocally or to be moved always in onedirection, whether continuously or intermittingly. Althoughmachinesembodying my improvements are adapted to general service, I'haveorganized them with special reference totheir use in connection with themanufacture of 3 5 light fine brushes, and also with special referenceto simplicity and economy in construction.

After a detailed description of machines embodying my improvements, thefeatures of in- 0 vention intended to be hereby secured to me will bespecified in theseveral claims hereunto annexed;- Referring to thedrawings, Figures 1 and 2 are respectively front and rear views of areciprocating ci'rculavnotched-blade machine embodying my'improyements.Figs. 3 and 4 are opposite or end views of the machine. Fig. '5 is afront view of a similar machine 1 having a circular notched bladeorganized to 5o'be moved always in one direction.

a rear view of the same.

1 shown.

Fig. 6 is The table A ofthe machine may be constructed in any desiredmanner. The frame B may also be variably constructed without departurefrom certain portions of my inVention, but having economy ofconstruction in view I have devised the particular frame It is mainlycomposed of a single casting, including a triangular base, a, and anannularblade-head, b, int-egral'therewith. Below the blade-head, at bothsides of the machine, the frame is slotted for the reception ofrolle'rs,to bchereinafterdescribed. At the rear side of the frame a backplate, 0, is adj ustably secured by screws 0 in slots 0. plate serves adouble purpose, it being an ad justable standard-bearing for the axis dof the notched circular blade 0, which may revolve, but'is preferablyreciprocated within the bladehcad b, and it also serves as the backplate of the bristlehopper D. In Figs. 1 and 2 the circular or diskblade C has a single tuft-gathering notch, e, and is therefore organizedto be reciprocated or rocked to and fro by means of a treadle (notshown) coupled thereto by the long link or rod f, lever f, and the link7.

This machine, when intended to serve for but one brush-maker, has butone tuft-delivering point, g,which is on the front side of themachine,the annular head being cut away, as shown, to afford space for a thumband finger in grasping the tuft; but when arranged to serve twobrush-makers it is provided with a second delivery-point, g, at the rearside of the machine. As the vibratory movement of 'the blade need be nomore than, say, ninety degrees, the disk can be provided with at leastthree notches of different sizes equidistant from each other, so thateither notch may be employed,according to the size of tuft desired.

The bristle-hopper D is as described in my aforesaid application forLetters Patent, and is a loop shaped and contractible flexible hopperhaving a mouth, h, at the lower side 'of the annular blade-head, andiscomposed, 95 mainly, of a band or belt; t',..which at one end 7 issecured to the frame B, thence passes upwardly over a roller, i,mountedin said frame, thence descends, forming a loop within thetriangular base, thence passes upwardly over a second roller, 72, andthen away from the frame, and it is maintained undersuitable This back 6tension by a cord and spring, or by a weight, 1'", as shown. Both endsof the band or belt may, if desired, be provided with a weight orspring. The circular blade 0, being always across and closing thehoppermouth 71, serves in one sense as the upper wall of the hopper. Theback plate, 0, before described, also serves as its rear wall. Thebristles k are placed in the loop, and when the weight is free to actupon the belt or band t the bristles are forced upwardly against theblade, and when the notch of the latter is moved across the mouth it isreadily filled with bristles, tufts of which are carried first to oneside of the hopperunouth for one bruslrmak er, and then to the otherside for a second brushmaker; or, if but one person is to be served, the

reciprocating movement is lessened, so as to cause the notch to sweepfrom one side of the month to either point of delivery. Those portionsof the annular blade-head b which extend from each side of thehopper-month h to the tuft-delivery points 9 g constitute notchclosingor tuft-bearing surfaces, by means of which the notched disk is enabledto control and carry the tufts, after gathering them, during the passageof the notch across the mouth of the hopper. Should the disleblade andthe blade-head become worn at their points of contact, it can becompensated by the adjustability of the back plate, 0, and this alsoenables the blade to be set accurately for properly operating onfilaments of various kinds.

Machines have heretofore embodied a hopper and a circular notched blade;but mine differs from said prior blades in that it has a truly radialnotch instead of a tangential notch, as heretofore. The novel radialnotch enables the blade to separate and deliver a tuft on each side ofthe hopper-t'. e., at each of its movements, as now for the first timeprovided for by lne while the tangential notch is only capable ofoperating in one direction, and the edges of the radial. notch areobviously less liable to cut bristles than those of the tangentialnotch.

I-Ieretofore the disk-bladc has not been ad justably mounted in itsbearings, and it has always been located below the hopper. By having thehopper below the blade, as in my machine, the bristles are lifted withuniformity into a notch, are better controlled, and are more readilyobservable and accessible for adjustment from time to time.

Heretofore, with a circular blade, a box hopper and a weighted leverhave been employed for holding the bristles and forcing them downwardupon the blade, and as the hopper was wider at the bottom than at thetop the entire weight of the mass of bristles, as well as of theweighted lever, was borne by the notched disk, whereas in my machine thebristles are lifted with only sufficient pressure to enable them topromptly enter the notch, and the flexible loop-shaped hopper exerts anencircling and a lifting pressure on the mass of bristles, causing themto be well pressed upwardly at the center of the mouth, and to alwaysproperly fill the mouth of the hopper, but to be pressed with but littleabrasive contact against the circular blade at either side of the mouth.

\Vith this machine I employ an agitator or means for intermittinglyvarying the pressure on the bristles, which constitutes a portion of theinvent-ion described in my other application for Letters Patenthereinbeforc referred to.

While the hopper for obtaining the best results should be located belowthe disk-blade, it can be otherwise located with reference to theperiphery of the disk without departure from certain portions of myinvention.

Referring now to the machine illustrated in Fig. 5 and 6, it will beseen to differ from the machine already described in having numeroustuft-notches c, and the blade is arranged to be intermitiingly rotatedcontinuously in one direction by means of the ratchet-wheel Z, securedto the axis of the disk-blade, the lever-arni l, freely pivoted on saidaxis and coupled to atreadle by the rod Z and the springpawl Z on saidarm for engaging with the teeth of the ratchet in a manner well known.This machine is also arranged to serve one or two persons, and itstuft-notches may be tan' gential instead of radial, and yet operate withbut little liability of cutting the bristles, be cause the latter arenot, as heretofore in diskblade machines, largely supported by theblade, and because they are subjected to pressure in the peculiar mannerdescribed. The only objection to moving the disk-blade always in onedirection is, that the bristles in the mouth of the hopper are not beingeonstantly adjusted by a to-and-fro movement, which serves to insureparallelism, and there fore I prefer the reciprocating disk.

It will be seen that so far as relates to the operation of the machine,Fig. l, the upper portion of the annular blade-head performs only aguiding or steadying function with relation to the circular blade, andhence the disk and the head may be both segmental in form withoutmaterially affecting the results; but in the machine, Fig. 5, the entirehead eooperates with the notched circular blade for closing the notchesand holding tufts of bristles, which can therefore be taken from variouspoints around the blade.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patent- 1. In a bristle-bunching machine, the com bination ofa bristle-holding hopper and a circular blade having one or more radialtuftnotches and crossing and closing the mouth of the hopper,substantially as described.

2. In a bristle-bunching machine, the combination of a bristle-holdinghopper and a circular blade crossing and closing the mouth of thehopper, and having one or more tuftnotches and organized within a head,sub- IIO stantially as described, for the delivering of tufts ofbristles at different points in the machine, as set forth. 7 r

3. In a bristle-bunching machine, the combination of a notched circularblade and a flexible and contractible bristle-holdinghopper having acontracted mouth crossed and closed by said blade, substantially asdescribed.

4:. In a bristle-bunching' machine, the-combination of a bristle-holdinghopper, an annular blade-head, and a notched circular blade which isadjustable within the bladehead, substantially as described.

5. In a bristle-bundling machine, the comframe B, having the open basefor the recep- 20 tion of the bristle-hopper, and the annular headforthe reception of said blade, substantially as described.

ALANSON c. ns rABRooK.

\Vitnesses: 1 1 H. K. PARsoNs, FRANK N. LOOK.

